HERALD.IE REPORTS / IRELAND 🇮🇪 Ireland’s 2018 Eurovision entrant Ryan O’Shaughnessy has had a good-natured pop at RTE. The Together singer jokingly suggested bosses at the national broadcaster are relieved they won’t have to fork out to host the contest here next May after he was unsuccessful in Lisbon.

Former Britain’s Got Talent contestant Ryan ranked 16th overall in the Portuguese capital last month, but he thinks his bid for the Eurovision crown won’t have disappointed RTE too much.

“It was great, it was super – I don’t think you can prepare for the bubble you find yourself in when you’re there,” he said. “We went from 250/1 to 7/1 with the bookies, so we had a bit of success when it comes to that kind of thing – we got through the semi-finals. “I think everyone was happy, and RTE were happy we didn’t win it so we don’t have to host it next year!”

Ireland’s entry was one of the most talked-about performances at this year’s contest, as backing dancers Alan McGrath and Kevin O’Dwyer acted out the story of a same-sex couple on stage, which was censored by Chinese TV.

The catchy ballad hadn’t been expected to get through to the final, but was the first Irish song to make it to the final stage in five years.

Ryan, from Finglas, said he felt the pressure when it was announced he was one of the bookies’ favourites to walk away with the trophy, which was eventually won by Israel’s song Toy – the red-hot favourite – performed by Netta.

Although Ryan didn’t say if he was interested in heading back to the European extravaganza for another bid at the title next year, he thinks the key to victory is in the songwriting.